Transcript Ancient Egypt

The Nile Valley
Chapter 2
Section 1
Did You Know?
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After developing their method of papermaking
using papyrus, the Egyptians kept the process
secret, so others could not make paper. In this
way, papyrus became even more valuable.
Settling the Nile
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The earliest Egyptians moved into the Nile River valley from
less fertile areas.
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Nile River is the longest river in the world.
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They farmed and built villages along riverbanks.
4,000 miles long
Begins as two separate rivers that converge to make the Nile
Cliffs & boulders create rapids called cataracts
Used Nile to drink, clean, farm, fish, and cook.
Nile Valley is a narrow, green valley
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Northern end is a fertile area of land called: delta.
Settling the Nile cont.
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The Sahara is the largest desert in the world.
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Egypt has natural boundaries to protect it:
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Lies west of the Nile Valley.
Eastern Desert lies east of the valley.
Deserts, rapids, and marshes in the delta kept enemies from
entering.
Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to
the east allowed trade with other peoples.
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Within Egypt, people traveled on the Nile to trade with
each other.
Discussion Question
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How did natural protection help Egypt?
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Enemies had difficulty attacking the country.
Keeping people safe helped the population grow.
The River People
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Floods along the Nile were predictable and were not devastating.
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Farmers learned about the waters of the Nile.
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Used to make baskets, sandals, and river rafts.
Later, used to make paper.
Hieroglyphics: Egyptian system of writing.
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They dug basins to trap floodwaters, dug canals to channel water to the
fields, and built dikes to strengthen the basin walls.
Papyrus: a reed plant that grew along the Nile
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They used the soil left behind by the floods to grow wheat, barley, and
flax.
Farmers learned about irrigation.
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Each spring Nile would flood and leave a dark, fertile mud along its
banks.
System consisted of thousands of picture symbols.
Scribes: Some Egyptian men learned to read and write. They
attended school to learn to be scribes.
Discussion Question
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Why might scribes be important to Egyptian
civilization?
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Rulers and other people in power, such as priests
and priestesses, needed scribes for record keeping.
Few people could go to school to be scribes, so
there were not many people the rulers could hire to
work as scribes.
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A
United
Egypt
Because the people in Egypt had surplus food, some people became artisans
instead of farmers.
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Artisans wove cloth, made pottery, carved statues, and crafted weapons & tools.
Egyptians traded with each other and with others in Mesopotamia.
A few strong chiefs united groups of villages into kingdoms.
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Eventually, the strongest kingdoms overpowered the weaker ones.
In this way, two large kingdoms emerged:
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Narmer united the two kingdoms.
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Lower Egypt & Upper Egypt.
He ruled from the city of Memphis, and his kingdom lasted long after his death.
Narmer’s descendants passed the fueling power on from father to son to grandson,
forming a dynasty.
Ancient Egypt was ruled by 31 dynasties that historians have grouped into 3
time periods:
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Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom
Discussion Question
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In what ways was ancient Egypt like
Mesopotamia?
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Both had access to powerful rivers, economies
based on farming and trade, government to help
the people, artisans to create products, and
technological advances.
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Early Egyptian Life
Ancient Egypt had social classes.
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Although men were the heads of the households,
women had more rights in Egypt than in other ancient
civilizations.
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Pharaoh was highest.
Upper Class: nobles, priests, government officials
Middle Class: Merchants, artisans, scribes
Lower Class: Unskilled workers and farmers.
They could own and pass property, buy and sell goods,
make wills, and obtain divorce.
Children: Few went to school; had time to play games
and had toys.
Girls: Learned to sew, cook, and run a household.
Boys: Learned farming or a skilled trade.
Discussion Question
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How are children today like children of
ancient Egypt?
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Both can play with toys and games.
All children required by law to go to school in
U.S.
Egypt had few children going to school.
U.S. girls today can learn to farm or a trade skill &
boys can learn to sew and cook.